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DMK meet: MK Stalin elected to lead party in TN assembly

The DMK Executive Committee today elected party treasurer MK Stalin as the leader of the legislative party. It also means Stalin would be the leader of Opposition in Tamil Nadu Assembly.

The committee also picked Durai Murugan as the deputy leader of the Opposition in the Assembly.

DMK is the single largest opposition party in the 234-member House with its 89 MLAs including party Chief M Karunanidhi and Stalin.

The meeting chaired by DMK chief M Karunanidhi was attended by 600 party members at the party headquarters in Chennai. The meeting began at 10 am.

Stalin, in an unprecedented move, had attended the oath taking ceremony of CM Jayalalithaa yesterday and had tweeted, “Hope that she fulfils her election promises and works hard for the people of TN. Wish her the best”.

Attended the swearing in of TN CM today. Hope that she fulfils her election promises and works hard for the people of TN. Wish her the best

The move by Stalin was hailed as a diplomatic gesture, but DMK head M Karunanidhi expressed his disappointment over the seating arrangement during the ceremony. Stalin was made to seat at the back during the swearing in.

Often tipped as Karunanidhi's political heir apparent, Stalin has in the past held the post of Chennai Mayor between 1996-2002 and started off as a minister in the Karunanidhi cabinet in 2006 when he was allotted Rural Development and Local Administration.

He was later elevated as Deputy Chief Minister and has been holding party posts of Chief of Youth Wing and DMK Treasurer.

He was first elected to the state assembly in 1989 and this is his sixth term as legislator. He was party's floor leader in the previous assembly also.

Stalin was elected from Kolathur in the May 2016 polls for a successive term.